Mixed reality is ready for investors

Mixed reality — augmented and virtual reality — is the next computing frontier after the emergence of PCs in the 1970s, the web in the 1990s, and mobile in the 2000s. This is the most unique of those shifts because mixed reality is the first tech to blend the digital and physical worlds. In today’s hyper-connected world, we have a powerful computing interface, the smartphone, which helps us access immersive experiences on the internet. However, the immersiveness is limited to the rectangular frame of the smartphone. A mixed reality interface combines varying degrees of real and virtual elements on the same display to create immersive experiences, and the device is hyper aware of it’s real-world surroundings. This means mixed reality has the potential to replace our smartphones, computers, TVs, and other common computer interfaces. If you look at the industry life cycle, while the smartphone application market is maturing, mixed reality is in the ‘introduction’ phase with the growth of several successful prototypes of smart glasses. The timing is perfect for investors to take advantage of this new digital environment as the hardware develops and meaningful applications are built along with improving internet connectivity. Imagine if you had invested in Apple or Microsoft during the PC revolution. Apple sold 33 percent of their company for only $250,000 to a PC insider, Mike Markkula, a stake now valued at roughly $280 billion. Similarly, during the Web revolution led by Amazon, Google, and Facebook, an investment of $500,000 would have bought you… [Read full story]